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Violent crimes reported at schools increased for last several years

While the number of crimes reported at Palm Beach County public schools last year fell slightly, the number of violent crimes reported has been increasing for several years and was at its highest level in nearly a decade last year, according to statistics released Thursday by the state.

The Uniform Crime Reports, released by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, show that the Palm Beach County School District police reported 1,042 total crimes ranging from rapes to larcenies last year. That was down about 1 percent from the previous year.

But the number of violent crimes reported by school police– such as murders, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults– increased from 94 in 2011 to 110 last year. Furthermore the annual reports show that after decreasing for most of the last decade, the number of violent crimes reported has been on the rise each year since a low of 59 incidents reported in 2009.

The vast majority of those violent crime incidents reported at schools were for aggravated assaults with no murders reported and a few robberies and rapes.

The total number of crimes reported in Palm Beach County schools also decreased for much of the last decade, hitting a low of 751 incidents reported in 2006. Total crimes reported at public schools in the county have risen by 39 percent since 2006.

In contrast, the number of total crimes reported in Palm Beach County as a whole by all law enforcement agencies has decreased each year since 2007 and is down 20 percent in that time. Violent crimes as a whole in Palm Beach County have also decreased each year since 2007, dropping by about 29 percent during that time.